I am a high school senior interested in military aviation, but have a few choices to make in the coming months. I was just awarded a 4-year Army ROTC scholarship and helicopter flight training scholarship to the University of North Dakota. This program is unique in the respect that the Army will pay for flight training during college. So when you graduate, they just send you to Ft. Rucker to complete the training on whatever particular aircraft you will fly. On the other hand, I will likely get an Air Force scholarship and am still waiting on the Navy (I applied pretty late). If I take the AFROTC, I will likely go to ERAU Prescott, and ERAU Daytona Beach if I take the Navy. I've seen how the ERAU debate goes on this site, but I am curious to know what experiences others have had with these programs, in particular the heicopter program at UND. I would appreciate any input.

 

Maybe someone who has been through it can comment, but I'm pretty sure the Air Force will not guarentee a flying spot to you until your already commited. So if you really want to fly it may be best to join the branch that you know for sure you will be flying in.

 

Air Force ROTC will guarentee a flight spot even before commiting. They did it to me, I turned it down because I got the recruiter to talk. He said that one other thing I could do to fly in the military is go to college on my own, get all my flight ratings, and then apply into the armed forces as a pilot. That way, if you're in, you're in as a pilot. If not, then you go on your way. Or, I could commit to ROTC and bust my butt at getting spot along with 400 other students get turned down, and be a weapons officer or something that does not involve flying. This was only for Air Force so I don't know much about the other branches.

 

If you want to fly fixed-wing or airlines later, don't go Army. It can be done but it's a more difficult path.

 

Hmm..Then I wonder what my AFROTC friends are complaining about.

 

Not all AFROTC detachments are created equal. After talking to guys in my UPT class they all made it seem like it wasn't that hard to get a pilot slot out of ROTC. They did say that it was hard to get into ENJJPT but they all got it so maybe they were in the top of their class. But it seemed like the guys in ROTC at my college kept getting Navs and ABM spots but no pilot slots. So I guess it would depend on where you got to college. I have no idea how all that works as I am guard, just realying what I have seen and heard. Best of luck!

 

I was never guaranteed a pilot slot when I was in Det. 220, nor have I ever heard of such nonsense. Any Cadre member who tells you as much is not only selling you a bill of goods, they are violating the core principles of the Air Force.

The only guaranteed fixed-wing military pilot path I am aware of is through the Marine Corps, and maybe the Navy...oh yeah, and the Air National Guard (the best way to go BY FAR, IMO).

 

The helicopter program at UND is a very good program, IMHO (as an outsider/UND grad who didn't do the fling wing thing but know people who did).

UND is the only school/university in the nation that provides helicopter training to West Point cadets (during the summer). That should say something in and of itself.

The program has changed some since I went to school at UND, but I think that the school is working hard to stay ahead of the pack when it comes to technology and changes in the industry. This includes the helicopter program, but other areas as well.

 

I agree it's a great program, assuming you want to be a career army officer and/or helicopter pilot.

 

Yeah, tell me about it...